Work-life balance

In your quest to keep pace with all that's thrown at you, do you find yourself frequently preoccupied? It seems as if many accountants are in overdrive today. We don't enjoy the morning because we're always in a rush. We don't enjoy the evening, because it goes by too fast.

You know when you're hanging on to too much stuff and when you should pare down, but how can you begin to declutter with minimum pain and gnashing your teeth? Guest writer Jeff Davidson offers some suggestions.

The sooner we recognize that our interruption-based society is here to stay, the sooner we can embrace and securely put into place measures that ensure we can be at our best for today and for the long run.

It's safe to say that when most accountants dragged themselves across this year's April 17 tax filing finish line, they found themselves both physically and emotionally depleted by the grueling hours and unrelenting stress of tax season.

Just because accountants are logging eighty-five hours a week doesn't mean they should be deprived of a break once in a while. In fact, allowing yourself - or your staff - to take breaks can lead to more productivity. The staff at TravisWolff believes so much in this concept that they formed a "Fun Committee."

Accountants can expect to take only so much strain when putting in seemingly endless hours during busy season, but firms can offer ways to help. In addition, staffers can take measures to ease stress during a time when being overloaded with work tasks can be an everyday occurrence.

Cindy Mayhak is just one of the many wellness-minded professionals who decided to break away from their desk without breaking away from the office by using a TrekDesk to shatter their sedentary lifestyle and the health risks associated with it.

Faw Casson's wellness program – a top-down commitment to healthy living and the physical and spiritual well-being of each of its forty employees – recently earned the firm the title of the fittest accounting firm in the eleven- to fifty-member bracket in AccountingWEB's 2011 Fittest Accounting Firms survey.

Sage has released the findings of a recent survey of nearly 200 of its French-speaking Canadian Sage Accountants Network members. Results underscore top concerns about social media usage and resources network members tap into to stay on top of trends in the profession.

When you are stuck on the treadmill of life juggling the tasks of working, parenting, spending beyond your means, eating and drinking too much, and getting sucked into watching TV, it’s hard to change your routine.

The Stress Management Society says stress levels are at an all time high – the highest since the group was launched in 2003. SMS is warning people to look out for stress symptoms and have a plan to combat stress if it arrives.

Stress is the biggest killer in the Western world, destroys relationships, and damages productivity. The following stress management tips have been put together using an integral framework, so they include physical, psychological, social, and environmental factors.

Gregory & Appel Insurance in Indianapolis has had a wellness program for years, but always felt it was missing some of the elements needed to be the successful program company officials were envisioning.

AccountingWEB is interested in how accounting professionals are staying in shape. Dori Danko, an accounting instructor at Grand Valley State University's School of Accounting, responded to our quest for information and sparked our interest.

For accountants in tax and auditing practices, the busy season (January 2 to April 15) is understood as a time when extra hours and working Saturdays are a given. To help ease that burden, public accounting and consulting firm Crowe Horwath LLP offers benefits targeted to helping its people maintain work/life balance.